Free, open source software (FOSS) has a long history, dating back to the origins of software itself, when the terms free software and open source software were not yet defined. Learning about the milestones in this history can help you understand FOSS today.
The concept of “free software” (with free as in freedom) dates back to the early 1980s. The term open source is much newer, from the late 1990s. But before there was free and open source software (FOSS), certain programs were paving the way.
In fact, until the late 1960s, most software operated as FOSS: it was shared with relative ease among the people who maintained the computers and the code.
Only a few companies made computers, with IBM by far the market leader. For all of them, software was simply a companion to the hardware: as long as you paid for maintenance, you had access to the manufacturer's software catalog.
User groups such as SHARE (IBM) and DECUS [Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC)] favored software sharing. To some extent, before 1970, software was simply an add-on to hardware, not something considered valuable in its own right.
The situation changed in 1969, when IBM announced software unbundling: part of its catalog was to be sold separately.
From that moment on, users had to purchase some of the software they needed.
Various companies began to flourish with a business model based on producing software that would run on hardware sold by others.
This started the software market and, with it, the changing state of software.
Vendors implemented technical and legal means to restrict sharing, modification, and even study of programs.
By the mid-1970s, proprietary (non-FOSS) software was already the norm. However, in the early 1980s, some programs were distributed in ways similar to what we now consider FOSS, including SPICE (Simulation Program with Emphasis on Integrated Circuits), TeX, and Unix.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
